Recently I was fortunate enough to receive an invite to attend the Amazon UK Seller Conference at Amazon’s London office. It was a very interesting experience and it gave me a completely different perspective on how Amazon operates internally.
The office itself was modern, clean and had a strong futuristic feel to it. There are more than seven thousand people working there, and you can sense the energy as soon as you step in. We arrived, signed in, did some quick networking, and then headed up to the seminar room.
The Event Structure
The event was split into multiple sessions throughout the day. Between each session there were networking breaks, which turned out to be the most valuable part of the entire experience.
The first section covered FBA topics. There were some useful points on inventory performance and general operational improvements. Nothing groundbreaking, but still relevant. Some points were typical Amazon wording, such as their comments about helping sellers with returns, which we all know does not always reflect reality. However, the real value did not come from the presentations. It came from conversations with Amazon staff and conversations with other sellers.
A Niche Within a Much Bigger Ecosystem
During discussions with staff and other attendees, it became clear how niche our business model is. Arbitrage and reselling represent a very small fraction of Amazon’s overall seller base. Most people at the event were wholesalers, agency owners or private label sellers.
This was a good reminder that the Amazon platform is far bigger than our specific niche. It is easy to get stuck in our perspective and think that arbitrage is the whole Amazon world, when in fact it is only a very small part. Hearing about what other sellers do was eye opening. Some sell clothing, some sell very unusual products, and some run entire companies from only a couple of ASINs.
One seller shared that they generate millions per year from only two ASINs, and those ASINs were moth traps. It shows there are countless ways to succeed on Amazon.
Discussions on Ungating
Ungating naturally came up in the one to one discussions with Amazon staff. The message was consistent with what we already know. Ungating is a mess right now. Amazon has tightened things up significantly and certain brands have requested that Amazon make it harder for resellers to sell their products. This is why we are experiencing unexpected hard gating and higher rejection rates.
There is no fast fix coming. It is simply something we will have to ride out until Amazon adjusts their systems again. Staff acknowledged the problem but explained that some of the restrictions are being driven by the brands themselves.
Networking Value
Networking during the breaks and over lunch was the best part of the event. Speaking to different sellers, hearing their backgrounds and learning what they sell was extremely useful. People were selling everything from clothing to niche household products. Some strategies were simple, some were more complex, but all of them highlighted how diverse the Amazon marketplace really is.
It was also good to meet people from a Discord group I am involved in. Putting names to faces made the community feel a lot more connected.
The Afternoon Sessions
The afternoon sessions covered topics such as expanding into the EU, FBA optimisation and building more efficient seller workflows. These sessions were slightly less engaging but still had useful points scattered throughout.
A lot of the event was structured around explaining Amazon’s ecosystem, highlighting the benefits of certain programmes and pushing sellers to consider expansion into FBA and cross-border opportunities. Even though not everything applied directly to arbitrage, it was helpful to listen and understand how Amazon positions these programmes internally.
Final Thoughts
It was a great day, and I am glad I went. It was valuable to hear Amazon staff speak, to meet other sellers and to gain a better understanding of how Amazon functions internally. It was a nice change from dealing with virtual assistants and automated responses.
If you ever receive an invite to one of these events, and they are invite only, I would definitely recommend going. You will learn something, you will expand your network and you will leave with a clearer view of the Amazon ecosystem.
